Saturday's letters: Disturbing trend

Published: Saturday, December 21, 2013 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, December 20, 2013 at 3:10 p.m.

To the editor: When large retailers began selling cheap goods manufactured in Asia, U.S. consumers rejoiced, but higher-paying U.S. manufacturing jobs began moving overseas.

Many large retailers also held employee wages to the minimum in order to maintain profit margins.

However, is it more important that Americans can buy a cheap TV, or that more Americans can be employed and earn a living wage? If McDonald’s paid its employees a living wage, would it lose customers because a Big Mac would cost a few cents more?

There is a disturbing trend in wealth concentration in the U.S., and it doesn’t bode well for the middle class or the wealthy. Currently, 1 percent of Americans hold 40 percent of the wealth and 20 percent of Americans hold 80 percent of the wealth. That should concern all Americans.

The U.S. economy thrives on consumer spending. When more consumers have more to spend, the U.S. economy grows faster, profits increase, more jobs are created and government welfare costs decrease.

The minimum wage was last raised in 2009 to $7.25 per hour and is not inflation adjusted like federal income tax brackets and exemptions. Isn’t it time for a significant increase in the minimum wage that is inflation adjusted?

Ron Davis

Flat Rock

Protect animals

To the editor: Kudos to letter writer John D. Heine Jr. for shining a light on the need for a law to protect pet animals from the cruel neglect inflicted on them by ignorant owners.

Dogs and cats left outside in frigid weather suffer. They may survive, but they suffer.

It is way past time for Henderson County to join the modern world and pass a strong law to end this abuse. Please act, Henderson County commissioners!

Alison Biondo

Hendersonville

Worth seeing

To the editor: There’s a show well worth seeing at our own Hendersonville Little Theater. This show now playing is poignant, soul stirring and filled with warmth and good humor.

If you’re looking for some Christmas spirit, it’s waiting for you at the Hendersonville Little Theater. The two O. Henry stories “The Gift of the Magi” and “The Cop and the Anthem” have been intertwined into one charming musical.

Take the kids, take grandma and grandpa, take the whole family for a jolly good time.

Doris Allison

Hendersonville

More isn’t better

To the editor: Faced with the recent departure of a loved one killed by cancer, some interesting factors present themselves.

This disease, in spite of a great and costly amount of research, has resisted a viable solution for many, many years. All treatments invented and promoted by the medical and herbal professions have failed to find a substantial solution.

What appears to me to be the most interesting fact is that cancer cells continue to devour their host until they kill their source of livelihood, and ergo themselves.

What is curious is that the human race is involved in an almost identical process. We are slowly but successfully devouring and destroying the main source of our existence, the Earth. By continuing, in the face of all evidence that our successful efforts to produce more people is disastrous, we are slowly, relentlessly, producing more and more humans to destroy all our food production sources, as well as the land and sea that produces them. In other words, like the cancer, we are destroying our own environment under the erroneous belief that more is better.

As a thinking human being, I ask readers, are we capable of realizing and halting the cancer-like disaster we are causing?

<p>To the editor: When large retailers began selling cheap goods manufactured in Asia, U.S. consumers rejoiced, but higher-paying U.S. manufacturing jobs began moving overseas.</p><p>Many large retailers also held employee wages to the minimum in order to maintain profit margins.</p><p>However, is it more important that Americans can buy a cheap TV, or that more Americans can be employed and earn a living wage? If McDonald’s paid its employees a living wage, would it lose customers because a Big Mac would cost a few cents more?</p><p>There is a disturbing trend in wealth concentration in the U.S., and it doesn’t bode well for the middle class or the wealthy. Currently, 1 percent of Americans hold 40 percent of the wealth and 20 percent of Americans hold 80 percent of the wealth. That should concern all Americans.</p><p>The U.S. economy thrives on consumer spending. When more consumers have more to spend, the U.S. economy grows faster, profits increase, more jobs are created and government welfare costs decrease.</p><p>The minimum wage was last raised in 2009 to $7.25 per hour and is not inflation adjusted like federal income tax brackets and exemptions. Isn’t it time for a significant increase in the minimum wage that is inflation adjusted?</p><p><em>Ron Davis</em></p><p><em>Flat Rock</em></p><h3>Protect animals</h3>
<p>To the editor: Kudos to letter writer John D. Heine Jr. for shining a light on the need for a law to protect pet animals from the cruel neglect inflicted on them by ignorant owners.</p><p>Dogs and cats left outside in frigid weather suffer. They may survive, but they suffer.</p><p>It is way past time for Henderson County to join the modern world and pass a strong law to end this abuse. Please act, Henderson County commissioners!</p><p><em>Alison Biondo</em></p><p><em>Hendersonville</em></p><h3>Worth seeing</h3>
<p>To the editor: There’s a show well worth seeing at our own Hendersonville Little Theater. This show now playing is poignant, soul stirring and filled with warmth and good humor.</p><p>If you’re looking for some Christmas spirit, it’s waiting for you at the Hendersonville Little Theater. The two O. Henry stories The Gift of the Magi and The Cop and the Anthem have been intertwined into one charming musical.</p><p>Take the kids, take grandma and grandpa, take the whole family for a jolly good time.</p><p><em>Doris Allison</em></p><p><em>Hendersonville</em></p><h3>More isn’t better</h3>
<p>To the editor: Faced with the recent departure of a loved one killed by cancer, some interesting factors present themselves.</p><p>This disease, in spite of a great and costly amount of research, has resisted a viable solution for many, many years. All treatments invented and promoted by the medical and herbal professions have failed to find a substantial solution.</p><p>What appears to me to be the most interesting fact is that cancer cells continue to devour their host until they kill their source of livelihood, and ergo themselves.</p><p>What is curious is that the human race is involved in an almost identical process. We are slowly but successfully devouring and destroying the main source of our existence, the Earth. By continuing, in the face of all evidence that our successful efforts to produce more people is disastrous, we are slowly, relentlessly, producing more and more humans to destroy all our food production sources, as well as the land and sea that produces them. In other words, like the cancer, we are destroying our own environment under the erroneous belief that more is better.</p><p>As a thinking human being, I ask readers, are we capable of realizing and halting the cancer-like disaster we are causing?</p><p><em>Mark Clifton</em></p><p><em>Hendersonville</em></p>